DLG292 I dig into the psyche of Rick Prol to find out where that — as Edward Leffingwell called him a "Master of Gothic angst" — aesthetic comes from.

RIck Prol has a solo exhibition, Empty City up at at James Fuentes Gallery, 55 Delancey St, NYC, through Saturday, March 26, 2022, Prol has been a well-know artist for over 40 years with a consistent practice, His work is beautiful, engaging to look at with a dark spin. I dig into the emotional connection in Prol's life experience to find out where it came from. Rick Prol was a contemporary of all of the famous East Village Artists of that time and Rick articulates well what it felt like to live in the East Village and how genuinely dangerous is was. Also his Dad put A LOT of pressure on him! James Kalm has a great video of the opening of this show. You can see the work and feel the excitement in the room HERE. More about Rick Prol: Born: 1956, New York, NY. Cooper Union, BFA, 1980, also studied at New York Studio School, 1975-76. Currently lives and works in New York City.  Rick Prol started showing his work in 1982, during the heyday of the East Village art scene of the 1980s. The East Village scene embraced the idea of a community of experimental artists living in and thriving off of the grittiness and cultural richness of the area.  Prol quickly became an icon of the era, known for his dark yet vibrant, cartoonish descriptions of fantastical murder and mayhem in the rat-infested urban jungle. Prol's paintings incorporate various styles including Art Brut and Expressionism, laced with various art historical references and laden with sincere depictions of the urban human condition.  In addition to painting, Prol's studio practice includes work in a variety of media such as sculpture, drawing, installation and writing. Prol writes "My work is a form of self portraiture and is a kind of prophesy-voodoo, it is strongly influenced by my surroundings but only as a starting off point. My intent is for a universal message."  Termed as a "Veteran Master of Gothic Angst" by Edward Leffingwell of Art in America, March, 2004, Prol has exhibited widely over the years, as well as curated exhibitions including East Village A.S.U., 2004, at the B-Side Gallery in the East Village, in response to the exhibition East Village U.S.A. at the New Museum, in New York. Recent surveys of his work have been presented at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH and The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY. He has presented solo exhibitions with Hal Bromm, B-Side Gallery, Willoughby Sharp, and Andrew Kreps in New York; Barbara Farber in Amsterdam; and Leeahn Gallery in South Korea; and has been included in group exhibitions at Artists Space and PS1, among others. Prol’s work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Holocaust Museum, and Smithsonian Libraries. Follow RIck Prol on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/rickprol/